The Spot Blog

The top election officials in two of Colorado's largest counties testified Monday that taxpayers are spending thousands of dollars mailing ballots to voters in uncontested primaries, a practice that upsets both Democrats and Republicans.

Debra Johnson, clerk and recorder for Denver County, and Wayne Williams, clerk and recorder for El Paso County, said primary voters regularly contact them to ask why they received ballots when there were no candidates to choose from.

"Voters get mad," Johnson said.

Williams pointed out that municipalities and school boards automatically cancel elections if there is only one candidate for a particular office, and counties should get some leeway too. Of the 360 races in the 2012 primary, only 28 were contested, he said.

Johnson and Williams testified in favor of House Bill 1067, which would allow county clerks to waive sending mail ballots in primary races where the candidates seeking their party's nomination are running uncontested.

"This represents millions of dollars that have to come from county coffers," said Rep. Carole Murray, R-Castle Rock, who is sponsoring the bill with Rep. Jeanne Labuda, D-Denver.

In a primary election, voters choose candidates running from their party in their district. A Democrat, for example, cannot vote in a Republican primary. The primary winner then is placed on the November general-election ballot, where eligible voters choose candidates regardless of party affiliation.

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The House State, Veterans and Military Affairs Committee delayed a vote on the bill until Wednesday because Labuda was excused Monday.

Murray, the former Douglas County clerk and recorder, amended the bill to address concerns that the wording suggested there would be no primary, which would limit fundraising for candidates. And she included a provision that required clerks to mail to voters the names of the candidates in their districts.

The county clerks said that kind of mailing would be far cheaper than preparing, printing and mailing ballots but particularly processing them once they are returned. Johnson estimated Denver County would save around $100,000 per primary election if the bill passed, and smaller counties could save as much as 40 percent of their election budgets.

Not a single Democratic race in El Paso County was contested in last year's primary, Williams said. But after losing a court battle, the county was required to still send ballots in those races.

"If there is a contest, by all means, let's have that contest," Williams said. "But let's save money where we can."

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